Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1887-10-12
ABOUT CORKSCREwS.
Enormous Quantities of Them Made In
Old Now Jersey Town.


Old New Jersey Town.
There seems to be nothing to say
about corkscrew. The corkscrew is
ubiquitous and necessary, but who
ever stops to think any thing about the
history or character of the cork ex-
tractorp There are miles of corkscrews
made each year. There are millions Of
them made every year-yes, and a
good many millions. 1t isn't gener-
ally known that the corkscrew is made
in largest quantities in Newark, yet
such is the case. There is one firm in
Newark that beats the world at making
and selling corkscrews. In round
numbers there were $50, 100000 cork
screws made by this one Newark firm
last year, or corkscrews enough for
nearly every voter on the globe. If the
corkscrews, which average three inches
in length, that were made during the
year 1886, could have been laid length
to length they would have reached from
New York to San Francisco and then
spanned the broad Pacific and touched
the shores of Japan. That will give
some idea of the number. But this was
only one firm, although the largest, it
is true. Could all the corkscrcws made
last year be known, there must have
been enough manufactured to supply
nearly every man, woman and child on
this mundane sphere with one. To
make the 150,000,000 of the Newark
firm required seventy-6ve men, simply
for the twisting Of the screws, to say
nothing of the making of the wooden
and other style of handles. They
worked steadily the year around at it..
One would hardly think that more
than three or four varieties were re-
quired, but there are about forty on the
market. They include the ring handle,
steel wire screws for demijohns and
large bottles; the double ring, handily
encased pocket screw; the folding screw
and the broad wire handle screw. Some
time ago an ice-pick and a cigar-box
opener was made with screw con-
cealed in the steel tube handle. The
tube can be slipped of and the ice pick
forms the handle of the screw. Another
novelty has q brush in the handle, SO
that the colored waiter is not obliged
to run his fingers around the inside of
the neck of a bottle to remove the par.
ticles of cork and dust. For champagne
bottles screw is made with blade in
one end of the handle to cut the twine
around the cork. Another handle con.
tains both the knife and brush on the
handle, The power corkscrew is an
ingenious arrangement which saves the
knees and arms from tussle with an
obstinate and fractions cork. A cone
of steel fits over the neck of the bottle,
and the screw draws the cork while the
cone presses on the bottle.
In addition to his corkscrew patents,
Newark man amused himself by
twisting up wire in almost every con-
ceivaLle shape, thereby supplying the
five-cent counter with novelties and
himself with a comfortable income IL
addition to that previously made by his
ingenious faculties. The spiral thumb
screw, which can be pushed into
board and easily removed after serving
as n temporary hat-rack is one of his
inventions. 1t is only II piece Of
twisted wire and can be purchased for
one dollar gross. Spiral paper hooks,
wall hooks, hat and coat racks, spiral
picture nails, spiral carpet tacks and
stair buttons, card suspenders and
holders, bill files, soap holders, pickle
forks, toasting and vegetable forks
and shoe button hooks are his inven
tions and are manufactu ed in Newark
Cor. ChtcdoO Times.